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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Macedonia crash kills 11 soldiers | Macedonia crash kills 11 soldiers |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A military helicopter from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia taking soldiers home from Bosnia has crashed, killing all 11 people on board. | A military helicopter from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia taking soldiers home from Bosnia has crashed, killing all 11 people on board. |
| The aircraft went down south-east of the Macedonian capital, Skopje. The cause of the crash is unclear, but officials described it as an accident. | |
| Skopje airport was closed for two hours after the incident. | Skopje airport was closed for two hours after the incident. |
| The transport helicopter was returning soldiers from a tour of duty in the EU-led peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. | The transport helicopter was returning soldiers from a tour of duty in the EU-led peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. |
| 'Terrible accident' | |
| The Mi-17 helicopter crashed around 1100 GMT as it prepared to land, officials said. | |
| A police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said the aircraft came down and burst into flames near a village of Katlanovo, about 10km (six miles) south-east of Skopje. | |
| Witnesses said they saw a fireball on impact. | |
| Those killed in the crash included two helicopter crew members. | Those killed in the crash included two helicopter crew members. |
| "This is a terrible accident, a great tragedy and a great loss," said Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, after visiting the site of the crash. | |
| An investigation is under way. | An investigation is under way. |